Fly TV
Encyclopedia
Fly TV was an ABC Television
channel available to viewers of digital terrestrial television in Australia. The channel featured programming aimed towards teenagers and young adults. It was launched nationally on 1 November 2001, and aired alongside the children's-oriented ABC Kids Channel
, which aired during Fly TV's downtime. The channel broadcast a 6 hour block from 6:00pm to 12:00am, which was repeated again from 12:00am to 6:00am.
Fly TV was also available from 6:00pm to 6:00am on both digital terrestrial television and subscription services: Austar
, Optus Television
, and the newly established TransTV (In Canberra Only). However, it could not gain carriage on Foxtel
.
Popular were its interstitials, created by many young emerging artists including a young Anton Emdin
.
25 million a year for the ABC. The ABC could not secure government funding to keep the channel on-air, but eventually launched another digital-only channel, ABC2
, less than two years later in March 2005. The sluggish uptake of digital television in Australia at the time made justifying a digital-only channel with a low viewership against the cost of keeping the channel on air difficult.
ABC Television
ABC Television is a service of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation launched in 1956. As a public broadcasting broadcaster, the ABC provides four non-commercial channels within Australia, and a partially advertising-funded satellite channel overseas....
channel available to viewers of digital terrestrial television in Australia. The channel featured programming aimed towards teenagers and young adults. It was launched nationally on 1 November 2001, and aired alongside the children's-oriented ABC Kids Channel
ABC Kids Channel
The ABC Kids Channel was an ABC Television channel available to viewers of digital terrestrial television in Australia. Launched on 1 August 2001, the channel offered repeats of popular ABC Kids programmes both simulcast and timeshifted....
, which aired during Fly TV's downtime. The channel broadcast a 6 hour block from 6:00pm to 12:00am, which was repeated again from 12:00am to 6:00am.
Fly TV was also available from 6:00pm to 6:00am on both digital terrestrial television and subscription services: Austar
Austar
Austar is an Australian telecommunications company. Its main business activity is Subscription Television but it is also involved with internet access and mobile phones...
, Optus Television
Optus Television
Optus Television is the cable television division of Australian telecommunications company Optus.-History:Its immediate predecessor was Optus Vision, a joint venture between, Optus and Continental Cablevision with small shareholdings by media companies Publishing and Broadcasting Limited and Seven...
, and the newly established TransTV (In Canberra Only). However, it could not gain carriage on Foxtel
Foxtel
Foxtel is an Australian pay television company, operating cable, direct broadcast satellite television and IPTV services. It was formed in 1995 through a joint venture established between Telstra and News Corporation....
.
Popular were its interstitials, created by many young emerging artists including a young Anton Emdin
Anton Emdin
Anton Emdin is a freelance illustrator and cartoonist from Sydney, Australia.- Career :Working as a freelance illustrator and cartoonist full time since 1995, Anton has drawn for numerous magazines, including the Australian editions of Rolling Stone, FHM, Ralph, People, Penthouse, and MAD .Amongst...
.
Closure
The ABC launched the channel without additional funding, hoping that its success would prompt an additional government grant. However Fly TV was discontinued on 30 June 2003, along with the ABC Kids Channel, in the first of a series of cuts to save around A$Australian dollar
The Australian dollar is the currency of the Commonwealth of Australia, including Christmas Island, Cocos Islands, and Norfolk Island, as well as the independent Pacific Island states of Kiribati, Nauru and Tuvalu...
25 million a year for the ABC. The ABC could not secure government funding to keep the channel on-air, but eventually launched another digital-only channel, ABC2
ABC2
ABC2 is a national public television channel in Australia. Launched on 7 March 2005, it is the responsibility of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's television division, and is available nationally to digital television viewers in Australia...
, less than two years later in March 2005. The sluggish uptake of digital television in Australia at the time made justifying a digital-only channel with a low viewership against the cost of keeping the channel on air difficult.